Week 8- Wilson's Promentory

This weekend I went backpacking (or bushwalking as they call it here) in Wilson’s Promontory. It’s about three hours South East of Melbourne and is a large nature reserve on a peninsula. We left from the trail head Telegraph Hill at about 11 am on Saturday morning. We climbed up large hills, through forrest and tropical forrest, marshes and fields. Wombats are probably the cutest creature ever. We arrived at the first beach, Sealers Cove (pictured above), around 1 pm. Unfortunately we had to get across a “creek” which was at high tide. It was up to our chest and freezing cold so we decided to wait around until it was a little lower. We ate lunch with a few other groups who were also waiting for the tide to go down. Around 4 pm it was decided that the water was “lower” although no one knew exactly how much lower. Everyone took off their pants and shoes and waded through the creek (which by the way was red from being stained with tea tree oil) which at this point was mid thigh level. We all went on our merry ways to several different camp sites. Two hours later I arrived at Refuge Cove. The most spectacular part of this cove was that there was a whale in it. At first sight it looked like an underwater rock that occasionally peaked out but then a fin came out. The whale started flapping its tail and put on quite a show. It was incredible. I’ve never seen a wild whale before! It was getting dark so we eventually had to stop paying attention to the show and set up camp. This was a 16.6 kilometer hike (equivalent to 10.3 miles). 

The next day we hiked to the next cove over (7 km), Waterloo Cove, where we ran into two more whales which graced us with a show. The beach had bright white sand and the water was so blue and clear it looked photoshopped; I could have been in the Caribbean. The birds at this beach can open backpacks. They managed to undo a zipper, spread the contents of the pocket around the site, and sampled various objects including a deck of cards and a cliff bar (which they stole). That night it rained ridiculously hard and our packs got completely soaked.  

The next morning we ate breakfast and broke camp in the rain but almost as soon as we started walking it stopped raining and cleared up. It was gorgeous. We crossed overland to Oberon Bay where we encountered high winds and the strangest wave formations I’ve seen. At a single time there were 7-12 sets of waves crashing. There was never a lull in the water. It would have been impossible to get out into the water because you would expend so much energy recovering from getting knocked down. It was very picturesque. We were crossing on the beach and the tide was rising. I was too lazy to take off my shoes so I had to avoid the water. At one point in time I had to scramble up an embankment, face plant into it, and raise my feet as high as i possibly could. I missed the water by about two inches. At this point we sped up to avoid any other similar instances. We walked across Norman Bay Beach which was similarly picturesque. Eventually we got back to the base camp, Tidal River. The total days trip was 16.8 km. It was an amazing trip.

Week 7- Surf Trip

The gang!

This weekend I learned how to surf! I’m horrible at it. I can occasionally stand up and rarely do I manage to actually ride the wave. Most frequently I can be found eating wake. Even so, I loved it. There is something about just being in the water at the whim of the currents that makes me really happy. I guess I should preface all this by saying that I joined the surf club with a bunch of friends (shown in the above photo from left to right: Elaine, Joe, Krishma, Mike, Brian). They have “surf camps” where they bring a bunch of kids (there were 85 of us) to a “life saving club” which is basically a youth hostel for surfers and give us boards, lessons, and food. It was incredibly fun. I made so many new friends. Unfortunately being in the water for 3 days got me a cold but I think it was worth it. We watched the sunrise and sunset every day. 

Mom was asking me about my classes yesterday and I figured I should elaborate for everyone. The Australian school system is very different from the American system. It is generally a 3 year program. Like in the UK, students enter knowing what they are going to study. As an abroad student I get more flexibility to move between faculties. I’m taking 4.5 classes. I’m taking biochemical regulation of cellular function which meets for lecture three times a week for one hour with an extra one hour tutorial. Australia Now is a historical/anthropological/political look at the Australian society. It meets once a week for an hour and a half with a hour long tutorial once a week. Cognitive Psychology meets once a week for two hours with a two hour laboratory every other week. Nymphs, Sluts, and Madonnas is a feminist critique of art and it meets once a week for one hour with a two hour tutorial for two hours. Almost all of my classes are recorded and put up online. I’m not totally sure how I feel about this, I like learning in the classroom, but at the same time it is pretty convenient. Lecture is pretty self explanatory, a teacher talks for a set amount of time and then the class is over. There is no discussion. Tutorial is time for discussion, talking about the readings, and explaining the assignments. Tutorials are often run by grad students. Another interesting thing is that you don’t call your teachers “professor” and you address them by their first name. Only the most important person in the department (usually the chair but not always) is called professor.

Week 4- The Great Ocean Road- Part 1

One of the many lighthouses.

This weekend I went camping along the Great Ocean Road. It is a gorgeous drive about an hour and a half from Melbourne in the South West. There is bright blue water, gorgeous rock faces, and amazing hikes every where. I think I saw 5 waterfalls (Erskine falls in Lorne, and Triplet Falls  and another one in Maits Rest, plus some others which I don’t remember their locations). I also saw WILD KOALAS (in Kennet River)!!!! There was one sitting on the highway which I got really close to (to take photos of course, it was hard not to cuddle it) before attempting to scare it off the road so it wouldn’t get hit (apparently I’m not that scary- we had to use the cars horn). The water was cold but that didn’t stop me from swimming in the ocean (we saw whales!). We also visited a light house at Cape Otway (we visited another but didn’t get to go up it). The coast is very dangerous, with reefs and rocks abounding. You can actually go on a tour of all the ship wrecked boats that litter the area. Back in the day people sailing from Europe would go straight south, almost to Antarctica and then East until they hit Australia (in some cases, very literally). The most famous part of the Great Ocean Road is the 12 Apostles- huge rock formations that jut from the ocean. We didn’t get that far on this trip. Luckily that means I have an excuse to go back!